GB1575836A

GB1575836A - Apparatus for separating a starter bar having a starter bar head from a crop-end of a cast strand in a continuous casting plant

Info

Publication number: GB1575836A
Application number: GB7662/77A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Voestalpine AG
Current assignee: Voestalpine AG
Priority date: 1976-02-26
Filing date: 1977-02-23
Publication date: 1980-10-01
Also published as: DE2707735A1; ATA141676A; CH600968A5; SE417794B; JPS52103326A; FR2342110A1; AT340624B; US4121652A; SE7701227L; FR2342110B1; BR7700997A; CA1070081A; JPS5518588B2

Description

v Z ( 21) Application No 7662/77

M ( 31) Convention Application No.

00 1416 m ( 33) Austria (AT) ( 11) ( 22) Filed 23 Feb 1977 /76 ( 32) Filed 26 Feb 1976 in ( 44) Complete Specification published 1 Oct 1980 ( 51) INT CL 3 B 22 D 11/08 ( 52) Index at acceptance B 3 F 1 G 2 S 1 G 2 V 1 G 3 G 2 D LG 3 G 2 W 1 G 351 1 G 352 1 G 3 W 1 ( 54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO AN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING A STARTER BAR HAVING A STARTER BAR HEAD FROM A CROP-END OF A CAST STRAND IN A CONTINUOUS CASTING PLANT ( 71) We, VEREINIGTE OSTERREICHISCHE EISEN-UND STAHLWERKE-ALPINE MONTAN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, a Company organised and existing under the laws of Austria, of Werksgelande, 4010 Linz, Austria, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to an apparatus for separating a starter bar from a cropend of a hot strand in a continuous casting plant in which the starter bar is lifted by a lifting mechanism, such as a cable or chain hoist, in a vertical, stationary guide, in which apparatus the starter bar head is in the form of tongs, and the jaws of the tongs are releasably lockable.

The connection between a starter bar head in the form of tongs and the hot strand crop-end can be effected with the help of a rail-shaped connection piece or by filling the nip, of the tongs with molten metal at the onset of casting, the metal then solidifying to form the connection.

Hitherto, separation of the jaws of the tongs, which are locked during strand extraction, from the hot strand either has been effected by a forced opening mechanism in which the jaws of the tongs are opened using guide rails, or by cutting off the crop end with a torch cutting machine.

In the latter case, the crop end is then usually separated from the starter bar head outside the circulatory system, and this requires manipulation by hand and additional personnel.

The invention aims at avoiding these difficulties and its, object is to provide apparatus which is able to separate the crop end from the starter bar within the circulatory system, in which the starter bar is moved through the continuous casting plant, i e the circulatory system formed by the strand guide, the torch cutting roller bank, a vertical stationary guide extending to the level of a transporting roller bank, which in turn leads back into the intro 50 duction position where the starter bar is introduced into the strand guide, and in which apparatus extraction of the hot strand is not impeded, facility downtimes are avoided, and additional personnel is 55 unnecessary.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for separating a starter bar having a starter bar head from a crop-end of a cast strand in a continuous casting 60 plant of the kind including a lifting mechanism, and a stationary vertical guide, the starter bar head being in the form of tongs having two mutually lockable jaws, and the starter bar being liftable by said lifting 65 mechanism in said stationary vertical guide, the apparatus comprising a centering means in the stationary vertical guide for holding the starter bar in a separating position, in which the starter bar can be separ 70 ated from the crop end, at least one bayonet-action fastening means for releasably interlocking the two mutually lockable jaws of the starter bar head, a displaceable rod acting on the at least one 75 bayonet-action fastening means in a direction tending to open the fastening means, when the starter bar is in said separating position, and a conveying means arranged below the centefrng means and the dis 80 placeable rod for transporting away the crop-end.

Preferably, the bayonet-action fastening means comprises a bolt secured to one jaw of the tongs and a rotatable sleeve sur 85 rounding the bolt, wherein the sleeve has a laterally extending claw which extends, into a recess of the other jaw of the tongs and the displaceable rod co-acts with a lever-like projection connected to the 90 PATENT SPECIFICATION

1 575 836 1 5758362 sleeve.

The rod in addition may be provided with a conical part for urging apart the jaws of the tongs.

Advantageously, the conveying means is a chute.

For connecting the starter bar head with the hot strand, a plurality of bayonetaction fastening means comprised of bolts and sleeves -can be provided, wherein the lever-like projections of the rotatable sleeves are articulately interconnected by connecting rod means.

Advantageously, the centering means comprises a pair of hydraulically actuated pincers, which is secured at the lower part of the vertical guide.

An embodiment of the invention shall now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig 1 is an overall view of the continuous casting plant, schematically illustrated, Fig 2 shows a view in the direction of the arrow II of Fig 1 with part of a lifted starter bar in section, on an enlarged scale, Fig 3 is a section along the line Ill-Ill of Fig 2, Fig 4 is a section along line IV-IV of Fig 2, and Fig 5 is a section along line V-V of Fig 2.

In the overall view according to Fig 1, a strand guide denoted by 1 is provided with driven rollers 2 for moving a flexible starter bar 3 comprised of articulately connected members A horizontal torch cutting and run out roller table is denoted by 4, on which table the starter bar and the hot strand are conveyed In a stationary vertical guide 5, a lifting mechanism 6, e g.

a chain hoist or a cable pull, with a receiving hook 7 is guided Somewhat above the level of the casting platform, a roller bank 8 is provided, by which bank the starter bar lifted by the lifting mechanism can be brought into its introduction position again When passing the torch cutting roller table, the crop is cut off the hot strand As soon as the foot end of the starter bar has reached the vertical guide and when the hook 7 has engaged the starter bar foot end, the start,r bar is lifted until the starter bar head and the crop end hanging thereon have reached a frame part 9 of the vertical guide 5 and freely hang above the run out roller table 4 To this frame part is secured a horizontal pair of pincers 10 which can be actuated by a hydraulic cylinder 11 As can be seen from Fig 4, the jaws of this pair of pincers grip the starter bar, i e the first member 12 of the starter bar following upon the starter bar head The pair of pincers 10 holds the starter bar tightly in this position and centers it so that the crop end is prevented from swinging The starter bar head 13 is designed in the form of tongs and comprises two jaws 15 and 15 ' of the 70 tongs, the jaws being pivotable about a bolt 14, as can be seen from Fig 5 The tongs embrace in their nip either a railshaped connection piece attached to the strand or, as illustrated, the nip is filled 75 with molten metal 16 in the mould at the onset of casting, which metal solidifies to form the connection.

As can be seen from Fig 3, the jaws 15, ' of the tongs are releasably locked by a 80 bayonet-action fastening means, wherein the fastening means comprises a plurality (two in the example illustrated), of bolts 17 which are fixedly connected with the one jaw 15 '; each bolt is surrounded by a sleeve 85 18, which is rotatable yet axially undisplaceable relative to the respective bolt Each sleeve 18 has laterally extending claws 19 and 19 ', which claws extend into a recess 20 in the other jaw 15 Each recess 90 communicates axially with a slot 20 ', having an elongate cross-section (Figure 2), in the jaw 15 In the locked position, shown in Figure 2, the claws 19, 19 ' are not aligned with their slot 20 ' and are thus 95 held in the recess 20.

The sleeves are provided with lever-like projections 22 and 22 ', and the projections are linked by a connecting rod 23 On the frame part 9, on the side opposite the 100 tongs 10, is secured a movable rod 24, which can be hydraulically actuated, so as to be moved into the position illustrated in broken lines, where its front end abuts the projection 22 ' and then moves it together 105 with the other projection 22 yet further in the opening direction via the connecting rod 23, to rotate both sleeves 18 about the bolts 17 until the claws 19, 19 ' of each sleeve are aligned with the slots 20 ', releas 110 ing the bayonet fastening to free the jaw The rod carries a conical member 25 which urges the jaws of the tongs apart if they jam The crop end 27 thus freed drops under its own weight onto the con 115 veyor chute 26 illustrated in Fig 1, and from there it is transported away.

Thus, separation of the crop end 27 from the starter bar 3 is made possible in an easy manner and without additional 120 personnel.

Claims

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: -

1 Apparatus for separating a starter bar having a starter bar head from a crop-end of a cast strand in a continuous casting 125 plant of the kind including a lifting mechanism, and a stationary vertical guide, the starter bar head being in the form of tongs having two mutually lockable jaws, and the starter bar being liftable by said 130 1 575 836 lifting mechanism in said stationary vertical guide, the apparatus comprising a centering means in the stationary vertical guide for holding the starter bar in a separating position, in which the starter bar can be separated from the crop end, at least one bayonet-action fastening means for releasably interlocking the two mutually lockable jaws of the starter bar head, a displaceable rod acting on the at least one bayonet-action fastening means in a direction tending to open the fastening means, when the starter bar is in said separating position, and a conveying means arranged below the centering means and the displaceable rod for transporting away the crop-end.

2 Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the at least one bayonet-action fastening means comprises a bolt fastened to one of the two lockable jaws of the starter bar head, a rotatable sleeve surrounding the bolt, a recess provided in the other one of the two lockable jaws of the starter bar head and the rotatable sleeve having at least one laterally extending claw which extends into said recess, a lever-like projection connected with said sleeve, the displaceable rod co-acting with said leverlike projection 30

3 Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the displaceable rod has a conical member for urging apart the two lockable jaws of the starter bar head.

4 Apparatus as claimed in any preced 35 ing claim, wherein the conveying means is a chute.

Apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 2 to 4, having a plurality of bayonet-action fastening means, further 40 comprising connecting rod means articulately inter-connecting the lever-like projections.

6 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the centering means 45 comprises a pair of hydraulically actuated pincers fastened to the stationary vertical guide at the lower part thereof.

7 Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the 50 accompanying drawings.

PAGE, WHITE & FARRER, Chartered Patent Agents, 27, Chancery Lane, London WC 2 A INT.

Agents for the Applicants.

Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by The Tweeddale Press Ltd, Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1980.

Published at the Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC 2 A l AY, from which copies may be obtained.